05/05/22 DLNR STATEMENT ON MAUNA KEA BILL – HB2024 CD1

Posted on May 5, 2022 in News Releases DEPARTMENT OF LAND AND NATURAL RESOURCES News Release DAVID Y. IGE GOVERNOR SUZANNE D. CASE  CHAIRPERSON For Immediate News Release: May 5, 2022 DLNR STATEMENT ON MAUNA KEA BILL – HB2024 CD1  To view video please click on photo or view at this link: https://vimeo.com/184362271  (HONOLULU) – The Department of Land and Natural Resources (DLNR) believes HB2024 CD1 is well-intentioned but leaves significant gaps that could result in worse management of Mauna Kea’s natural and cultural resources. Notably:  This bill requires the Authority to be financially self-sustaining. The lands on Mauna Kea are not revenue-generating lands. Requiring the Authority to be financially self-sustaining would lead to pressures to open conservation lands to commercial tourism.  A moratorium on new leases until 2028 will make it very difficult to maintain existing observatories, which need to seek to have new leases by 2033.   HB2024 CD1 requires new management plans. Extensive management plans are already in place.  HB2024 CD1 requires the number of observatories to be limited. The number of observatories is already limited, with some in the process of being decommissioned.  HB2024 CD1 requires prioritizing the reuse of footprints of decommissioned observatories as sites…
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